


may the odds be ever in your favour

by aylee_ann



Category: Running Man RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8550442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aylee_ann/pseuds/aylee_ann
Summary: The story of how each of them wins (and loses) the Hunger Games. -On the 150th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victors from all the existing districts. The past winners-- who have gone through brutal tasks to keep their lives-- are now faced with yet another deadly battle where only one person gets to survive.





	

01.

Lee Kwang Soo wins the game because he knows there’s no such thing as an alliance when only one person makes it out alive in the end.

He never intended to slaughter his alliances in their sleep, but he knows they would do the same thing once all the others are down. He knows, it’s either this or someone else from their group would slit his throat anyway.

On his shift that night, with a trembling hand and a knife firmly held in his palm, Kwang Soo approaches his supposedly partners and finishes them in one go. It happens all so fast, no one was even able to react. All they were able to do was staring at him with their eyes wide open, their mouth agape as to say something, or maybe let out a scream. They were silent deaths.

There are five more deaths in total before the tournament comes to an end. All made by him.

Kwang Soo wakes up every night from then, drowned in guilt and flashbacks of that night. He still remembers the horrified look of each and every one of them. He may have won, but sometimes he wishes he had just let fate decide instead of taking the matters in his own hands.

He might have survived, and yet he’s barely living.

 

02.

It runs in the family, they say.

When his name is called out in the reaping (Your tribute for District 1: Kim Jong Kook), his brother pats his shoulder. His mother chokes up in silent tears, while his father only gives him a firm nod. His grandfather came home alive, followed by his father, and lastly his brother. It’s something of a family tradition to go in there, fight for survival and win the game.

He’s been trained for this game for most of his life. He’s been prepared for anything that could possibly happen. He’s physically and mentally prepared. And yet, when the woman from the Capitol calls out his name in her loud and shrill voice, he feels like his legs are giving up on him.

He thinks of how all three of them came home changed people. He remembers seeing his brother trudging his way back home with slumped shoulders and hollow eyes. He pretends he doesn’t hear his brother screaming every night, or sees his father using alcohol most of the time to chase away the memories from the arena. He pretends he doesn’t know how they’re all haunted with their blood dripping hands, the lives they took to survive.

Kim Jong Kook steps to the front, catches Ji Hyo’s eyes a few rows away. Her eyes are welling with tears, her lips are trembling, she’s mouthing don’t go, please don’t go. His gaze lingers long enough to assure her that he’s going to come back. Ji Hyo breaks down in tears, her whole body shaking as she watches him being taken away. Her fingers instinctively reaches for the little arrow symbol that’s hanging loosely around her neck. He’s coming back, he’s going to survive she tells herself as tears uncontrollably stream down her cheeks and her heart breaks into a million pieces.

-

As no surprise, Kim Jong Kook comes home a victor, adding yet another name from his family to the list of winners.

 

03.

Song Ji Hyo wins the Hunger Games at the age of eighteen. 

Jong Kook, having come back battered and bruised from the horrid battle for survival, holds her hand, assuring her it’s unlikely to happen. It’s the last time her name could be drawn, it’s the last time she has to stand in line, praying for dear God her name won’t be called out.

(Your tribute for District 1: Song Ji Hyo)

For a moment, she feels as if the world stopped spinning on its axis. Everything is so surreal, she can’t fathom what’s going on anymore. She feels hundred pair of eyes glued at her, feels the way Jong Kook’s hand won’t let hers go. She’s escorted by the Peacekeepers, brought to one of the luxurious waiting rooms of the Justice Building.

Jong Kook sneaks in to see her for a brief moment.

“I–” She stutters, on the verge of breakdown. “I don’t think I can make it.” She sobs, burying her face in her hands.

“Look at me, Ji Hyo.” He says slowly, placing his hands onto her shoulders. “You’ve trained as much as I did. Remember all the hunting we did together? You’re even a better archer than me if I have to be honest. We both prayed it would never come to this, but there’s no going back now. Don’t you dare say goodbye because we’ll meet again. We definitely will.”

He gives her a long kiss that leaves a bitter aftertaste. She almost misses the look of despair in his eyes, the way he holds her tighter, and how the kiss is more desperate than it really should be. Although Kim Jong Kook has always had an undying faith in every single thing she does, he’s still wavering in the face of this cruel game.

-

She knows as a fact that going in there is equivalent to selling her soul to the devil. The game pits human beings against each other. Nothing could ever justify taking another person’s life. And yet, no one bats an eye while watching the opponent being sought out of life.

She makes her first kill on her third day. An arrow aimed straight at the tribute’s forehead. Ji Hyo went into the arena, never thinking she would have to resort to killing. She’s had no choice, especially when she’s wounded herself. Going into hiding, she discovers a chip that seems to track their whereabouts when tending her wound. Suddenly a thought crosses her mind.

Ji Hyo rips the tracker out, leaves it behind, and goes into hiding. This could be her ticket out. Half an hour later, her image flashes across the sky announcing her (supposed) death.

-

When the one remaining tribute from District 12 stands there with a tight smile on his face as the announcement is being made about his victory, an arrow makes it way from behind him, piercing right through his heart. His body falls to the ground, and Ji Hyo emerges from the dark much to everyone’s surprise.

The final victor of the 145th Hunger Games is Song Ji Hyo from District 1.

 

04.

Ji Suk Jin proved everyone wrong by being the last one standing, the winner of the 90th Hunger Games. No one thought he could win, not even himself dared to dream of such luxury.

The arena that year was an endless maze that seemed to have no exit. Suk Jin gave up trying to find a way out on his third day. He endured the hunger, the blazing sun during the day, and the freezing cold at night. Ji Suk Jin did not have the strengths as well as the courage to ever hold up a knife and take someone’s life.

-

He only starts to make a run for his life when he heard screams not far away.

He’s stayed at the same spot for days, feeling slightly relieved whenever the image of someone flashed across the sky announcing yet another death. He counts, the number of tributes in the endless maze has gone down to three, including him. Somehow, he’s not yet encountered other tributes as well as these monsters the producers let run wild.

Another image of a girl from District 2 appears the moment the screaming stops and everything is deadly silent again. For the first time, Suk Jin sees a glimmer of hope— that maybe the odds were really in his favor.

That’s why Suk Jin leaps forward, and runs for his life the moment the noises approach him. He’s done being a coward, hiding behind the hedges. He runs into this weird creature that has three heads, four tails and is four times as big as him. It towers over him, staring at him with hunger in its eyes, mouth wide agape. It grunts loudly before sprinting towards him. Fresh blood from its mouth dropping to the ground with every move it takes.

Suk Jin runs in circles, dodging the claws of the creature by close calls. When it grunted in frustration and whirled around, Suk Jin (with all his might) climbs up its back and stabs it in the eyes. One load groan which is followed by a lot of wriggling around and then it collapses to the ground with a loud thud. Suk Jin is flung to the ground, with a few scratches that are not too serious.

-

Suk Jin wanders through the maze, clutching his grumbling stomach when he hears someone approaching. Suk Jin turns around and recognizes the boy around his age from District 4. He looks just as battered and bruised as him, chapped lips, lifeless eyes, and a knife clutched tightly in his right hand. He’s got blood smudged on his face and clothes. Suk Jin could tell, the boy had nothing to lose, nothing to fear. As expected, the boy lunged forward, holding out his knife.

One of the deathly creatures appear that moment, saving Suk Jin from what could’ve been his one death.

-

Ji Suk Jin wins, spreading the hope that literally anyone stands the chance of winning.

 

 

05.

Ha Dong Hoon might not have the physical strength to guarantee his survival, but he has powerful parents that are willing to pay a fortune to rig the game.

That being said, Ha Dong Hoon sure knows what it takes to live on. Having been the one with the brain power in his had, he set out traps in the forests wherever he goes and waits for the wild animals to do the rest. For the entirety of the game, he does not lay a finger on anyone, and conveniently is always provided with an abundant of food supply and equipment from sponsors and whatnot. The wild animals always strayed away from him, and the acid rain did not harm him.

Ha Dong Hoon comes back home, a few scratches here and there, but still very much alive and kicking. He is the first person who makes winning the Hunger Games look so effortless – so easy.

 

06.

Yoo Jae Suk goes into hiding for most part of the game, only drops his cover at night. At night, that’s when he goes hunting. Five people are eliminated after the first night. When it comes to survival, Jae Suk does not think much. He does what he deems necessary.

He hides in the shadows, hides behind trees and bushes, and always gets away, undetected.

-

Jae Suk wins the tournament in the span of a week with most of the deaths made by him. Yoo Jae Suk was definitely not the candidate most people rooted for from the get-go, but he surely climbed up the list with his strong determination and his readiness to do what it takes to win.

 

07.

Kang Gary did not have an inch of motivation to stay alive. He anticipated his death the moment he set foot on the arena.

It only takes one person to prove him wrong. He ran into her when trying to find a spot to sleep at night. She’s from District 2, around the age of 11. She’s got dirt smudged on his face, her eyes widened at the sight of him. The little girl clutched her hand around his knife, trembling while holding it up.

“It’s alright, I won’t hurt you. Trust me.” Gary says softly, holding up both his hands in surrender. Looking at the girl, Gary is suddenly reminded of his little sister who is scared to death praying her name won’t be called out every year on the reaper’s day. He remembers squeezing her little hand in his, comforting her that it won’t happen. He remembers the terror in her teary eyes when he was taken away.

He takes the girl’s hand and guides her through the forest. They make an alliance, and Gary swears to himself that he won’t ever turn his back on her. He might die during the game, but the safety of this girl comes first. She shouldn’t have experienced any of this in the first place. His sister was already having nightmares having to stand there at the reaper, he can’t possibly fathom how terrified this kid is, facing close deaths every single day trapped in this horrid game.

-

Surprisingly, he isn’t doing so bad himself with the help of his new friend. He starts discovering hidden strengths and skills he did not think he possessed. For one thing, he’s finally managed to use an arrow which means they don’t have to wander through the woods starved. The little girl herself comes in handy as she knows which plant is edible and which is not. 

-

Gary rushes through the woods when he hears her high-pitched screams. It tears through the air, cuts into his soul and twisting it right where it hurts the most. When Gary makes it back, the culprits have already left. His little friend is lying on the ground, clutching her wounds with tears trembling down her cheeks.

“You have to make it,” she whispers, flinching in pain.

Gary cradles her in his arms, choking out the words while trying not to break down, “You can’t leave me here. We’re going to survive together, we’re going to escape and you’ll get to see your family again.”

The girl gives him a small smile, shaking her head.

“You have to win, Gary. Come back home and tell my family I love them.” She breathes her last words, and an eerie silence falls over them. Her heart has stopped beating.

-

Gary finishes off the remaining tributes, making him the survivor of that year. Not once does smile make it to his lips, not when he is announced the winner, and not when he is on his champion tour parading to the different districts as the new victor. He only lets out a weak smile when he sees his little sister running towards him when he finally reaches home. She puts her arms around him as Gary kneels down on his knees to embrace her.

For the first time after leaving the arena does he feel like he can start over again. 

-

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue (basically the set-up) for the story that is going to come. I'm not sure how many chapters this will be but I hope it will be around 10 or so. I've been planning this for months now and was finally able to put it into words. I would really appreciate comments because sometimes I just feel like no one really reads what I write and it does discourages me in some ways. I am putting a lot of efforts into this story so I do hope you will like it. It's more about Running Man as a whole than spartace, but there will still be some spartace here and there. I hope you will have fun reading it as much as I had fun writing. The real tournament is going to kick off really soon!


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